Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-06-18
His worth. II oil the nations KNOW.
C,,,r., t),, xvl,cIN rorth ,voul1 1pyo him

pfCclplceS. Leu ovcfy man colic UP ta'iu uioP
q stone upon his head But these men did not
so much kill Stephen Us tlioy killed tho,n-
solves. Every stone irOoundctl upon them.
While these mur,lerers wcro trnnsiixed by the
scorn of all good men, Stephen lives i'll tho
admiration Of MI Christians. Stephen stoned;
but Stephen alive. So all good lncn must be
peltcd. ALL who will 1.-Two godly III Christ
Jesus must suffer persecution. 1t isno eulogy
of q man to say that everybody likes him.
Show luo any ono who il doing all his duty to
state or church aud / will show you scores oil
ncu who utterly abhor him.
If all mon speak we'll OF you it IL because
YOU AFRO either lagsard or dolt. II u
steamer makes rapid progress through tho
waves tho water will holland foam all around
It. Bravo soldiers OF Jesus Christ will hear
tho carbincs click. When scca man with
voice and money and influence all on tho
right side, and some caricaturn him and somo
snecr ut him and souo ,lcnounce him, and
men who pretend to be actuated by right
motives conspiro to cripple him, to
cast lliul out, to destroy him, say: "Stophen
stoncd.s When SEQ man i'll some great
mora! or religious reform battling against
grog shops, exposing wiciednoss III high
places, by active means trying to purify the
church and better tho worlds estate, and
find that the newspapers allatlemize him, and
men, even good incn, oppose linn and dc
nounco him, because, though he does good,
he does not do it in their way, say: stephen
stoned" The world, with infinite spite, took
after john Frederick Obcrlln, and Robert
Mofrat, and Paul, uIul Stephen OF tho text.
But you notice, my friends, that while they
assaulted him they did not succeed really in
killing him. You1may assault good man,
but you c,uinot kill hiu On tho day OF his
death, Stephen spoke before few people in
tho Synhe1lrim; this Sabbath morn he adj
dresses all Christcndom. Paul, tue apostle,
stood OH Mars Hill addressing q handful OF
philosophers WHO knew not so much about
science ms n modern school girl. To-day lio
talks to all tho millions of Chrstcnlon about
the wonders Of justification and the glories
of resurrection. John Wesley was howled
down, 10y tho mob TO whom no preached, and
they threw bricks; at him, and they denounced
him, and jostlcd Him, and they spatupon him,
and yot to-day, il! all lands, nc is admitted to
l,s tho great father OF Gethodism. Booth's
bullet vacated the presidential chair, but
from that spot Of coasulatcd blood OH tho
floor in the box OF Ford's theatre there sprang
ND tho new life of Il nation Stephen stoned;
but Stephen alive.
Pass on now, and see Stephen in his dying
prayer. lis first thought was not how tho
stones hurt lis licad, ncr what wogld become
of lis body His first thought was about lis
spirit "Lort, Jesus, receive my spirit" The
murderer standing on tho trap door, the
black cap being drawn down over his head
before the execution, may grinlaco about the
future; but you and liavo 10 slaIIio ii con-
Tossing somo anxiety ub0ut where VIC nro go
ing to come out Hou arc not all body Tbore
Is within You Il soul SEQ it glenn from your
eyes today, and seeitiIradiating your coun-
tcnancc Sometimes am abasficd before an
audience not because come under your ply
steal oversight, but because realize tho truth
that sand before so many immortal spirits.
The probability j, that your body viii at last
find a scpuliurc in some Of the cemeteries that
surround this city. Ihcrc is 10 dohbt but
that you will will be able to pillow Your head
under the maple, or tho Norway spruce, or
tho cypress, or tho blcssoming fir; but this
spirit about which Stephen prayed, what
direction will that take? What guide will
escort it, What cato sill ovcn to receive
its What cloud will be cleft FOR its pathway?
After it has got Icyond the light of our sun,
will there be torches lighted Tor it the rest Of
tho way! VIII the soul have to travel
through long deserts before it reaches tho
good lanl2 IT we should lose our pathway,
will there be 4 castle at Whose gato wo may
ask tho way to the ctyi 0, this mysterious
spirit within usl 1t has two wings, but it is
in a cage now. 1t is locked fast to keep it;
but let the door Of this cage open the least,
ard that soul is off. Eagles wing could not
catch it. Tho liglltnings are not swift enough
TO take up with it. When tho soul leaves tLS.
body it takes fifty worlds ut n bound ,>--Snd
have l no anxiety about it. IJsTo Won no
anxiety about it1 do not cssi fTS what YOU do
--a;,s its my body wheg-1fliy soul is gone, or
rhotLcf yo 5tiic1c in cremation or inluma-
ton Shall sleep just as well III 4 wrapping
of sackcloth as i'll satin lined with eagles
down. But my soul-beforc | leave this
house this morning will find out where it is
going to land. Thank God for tho intimation
of mi text, that when we tlio Jesus takes u.s.
That answers ali questions for HE. What
though there were massive bars between here
and the city of light; jesus could remove
them. What though there were great Sag
haras of darkness; Jesus could illumu thcm
What though get weary on tho way; Christ
could lift mo OH his onnipotcn5 shoulder
What though there wero chasIns to cross; his
hand could transport me. Then let Stephens
prayer he my dying litany-"Lorl Jesus, re-
ccivc my spirit tmay he iii that hour we will
be too feeble to say IL long prayer; it may be
We will not be able tos say the Lords prayer, for
it has seven petitions. Perhaps VIC may be
too feeble even to say the infant prayer our
mothers taught us, which john Quincy
Adams ~ years of age, saii every night
Wien lio put his head upon his pillow:
Now lay me down to sleep.
Iprny tho Lord my soul to keep.
We may be too feeble TO employ either of
these familiar forms; but this prayer Of
Stephen is so short, is SO concise, is so earnest
is SO comprehensive, we surely will be ablo
to say that: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"
Oh, il that prayer is answered, how sweet it
will be TO die! This world is clever enough
to Ms. Perhaps It has treated us a great deal
better than we deserved to he treated; but II
on tho dying pillow there shall break the
light of that better world, we shall lave 10
nlcrc regret. about leaving u small, dark,
damp house for one large, beautiful and ca
pacious. That dying minister in Philadelphia,
some years ago. beautifully depicted ii when,
in the lust moment, lie threw up his hands
and cric,l ont:
II move into the lightl"
Pass on now and will show you one moro
picture, and That il; Stephen asleep. With
pathos and simplicity peculiar to tho Scrip
lures. tho trxt says of Stephens "Ile fell
asleep" aOG," you say, "wllat a place that
was to slccpl a hard rock under him, stones
falling down upon him, the blood streaming,
tho mob howlins. What q place it was to
slccplr And yet my text takes that symbol
of slunlbcr to describe his-dcparture, so sweet